Captain Anarchy. Key Labour figure's son's behind the violent breakaway cuts protests.
The son of one of Tony Blair's key aides helped organise the breakaway protests which sparked the violence during last week's march against Government cuts.
Jack Upton, left, and his father's home in Brighton, right Photo: ANDREW HASSON
Jack Upton, dubbed "Captain Anarchy" by his comrades , runs a radical group who confessed to having "co-organised" the Radical Workers Bloc "feeder march" which wanted to do more than "a simple A-B stroll" during the anti-cuts demonstration.
The 28-year-old, a council worker, is the son of Jonathan Upton, Labour's head of corporate development when Mr Blair became Prime Minister in 1997.
He now runs a lobbying firm which advises the NHS, Government departments and political activists seeking selection as party candidates.
A major police inquiry is underway to identify the mob who went on the rampage through London's West End last Saturday, smashing windows and fighting running battles with police.
Only 11 rioters, some of whom were photographed using wooden staves to attack the police, were arrested during the protests and last week investigators were beginning the painstaking task of examining hours of CCTV footage to try to track them down around 200 others who took part in the orgy of violence.
But a Sunday Telegraph investigation has identified a radical group which wanted to "organise direct action".
The group, the Brighton Solidarity Federation, which aims to overthrow the Government and wants to abolish "wage slavery", is run by Jack Upton, an Essex University graduate who works as an information officer at Brighton council.
Mr Upton set up and runs the group's website where an unnamed author last week revealed how its members joined other anarchists in the splinter demonstration which walked to Trafalgar Square and then "headed for Oxford Street for the 2pm...to put some of these words into action".
Alongside a photograph of a masked man hurling a bottle towards a bank's windows, the writer says: "When we arrived, we met up with other anarchists who had the same idea.
"Wary of being kettled, we chose to stay mobile, causing disruption on Oxford St and the surrounding area. Subsequently, several banks, the Ritz [hotel] and other buildings were damaged or hit by paint bombs. There were some minor scuffles with police."
The article, uploaded on Mr Upton's website on Monday night and simultaneously posted on Twitter in his own name and through his pseudonym "@stormingheaven", is an open letter to members of UKUncut.
Police arrested 138 of the group, which is targetting firms accused of tax avoidance including Vodafone and Topshop, after it staged a sit down protest in Fortnum and Mason, but failed to round up many of the rioters.
The letter's author says he represents the "violent minority" and writes: "press coverage...has gone into a well rehearsed frenzy of 'good protester/bad protestor'...we think the whole idea of dividing 'good' and 'bad'...serves only to legitimise police violence and repression."
Mr Upton last night denied he even took part in the protests or writing the letter, but his personal Twitter feed and the "@stormingheaven" postings, both describing him as an "Angry commie from Brighton", paint a different picture of his involvement both before and after last Saturday's events.
Labour leader Ed Miliband spoke at a rally in Hyde Park at the end of the peaceful official demonstrations last week organised by the TUC.
But Mr Upton, writing as "@stormingheaven", attacked his involvement with an expletive laden diatribe saying: "Ed Milliband (sic). Doesn't matter what you say, you are a f****** c***." and added: "Ed Milliband (sic) - this is how it feels to be an irrelevance."
He then "urged people to join the anarchists south London feeder march" and added "his majesty the violent minority rises again".
On the day of the protests he contined to Tweet. He said the march "shows once again that beyond all doubt Labour Party activists have no part to play in the fight against the cuts."
Later as the violence boiled over, he wrote: "If the TUC/Labour Party say a single f****** word about violence tomorrow without mentioning the police, then they have revealed themselves."
He added: "Feel like I'm going back to my youth, but seriously, f*** all police. Vile, disgusting scum."
He also "Re-Tweeted" another activist's posting: "Do people disassociating themselves from property damage honestly think that purely 'peaceful' protest will perturb the Bullingdon boys?"
Before adding: "The violent minority is the real movement that abolishes the present conditions."
Despite the pseudonym, Mr Upton does little to hide his true identity, even posting pictures of himself using the name and also uploading a copy a certificate for IT security which he had just been awarded at work.
However last night he attempted to distance himself from his previous 4,000 messages by unsuccessfully attempting to delete his Twitter profile under the assumed name and wiping all the messages he had posted as "Jack_Upton".
He also claimed to have nothing more to do with Brighton Solitary Federation, despite other members naming him "Captain Anarchy" and "our glorious leader" on their own internet postings.
Called twice on his mobile by the Sunday Telegraph and asked about his involvement with the group and the postings on its website, at first he said he needed to check what he could say with his comrades before later claiming he was no longer involved.
At first he said: "I'm not sure whether I can speak to you. I'll have to ask the rest of the group. To be honest I don't know whether they would speak to you because of an earlier article that was in the Telegraph. It was a kind of smear campaign against someone I know."
But later the same day he said he knew nothing about the demonstrations or the recent posting on group's website. He said: "To be honest I haven't really been in the loop recently."
Asked why the website was registered in his name, he said: "Yes. I think they used my credit card. I've had no real involvement with them."
Questioned about his role on the march, he said: "I wasn't at the march."
Jonathan Upton, who is chairman for London-based The Campaign Group and specialises in advising the health service and local government, was not home in Brighton or his at office in London when approached for comment.
He failed to respond to several messages left on his mobile phone or to emails outlining his son's role.
The group, the Brighton Solidarity Federation, which aims to overthrow the Government and wants to abolish "wage slavery", is run by Jack Upton, an Essex University graduate who works as an information officer at Brighton council.
Mr Upton set up and runs the group's website where an unnamed author last week revealed how its members joined other anarchists in the splinter demonstration which walked to Trafalgar Square and then "headed for Oxford Street for the 2pm...to put some of these words into action".
Alongside a photograph of a masked man hurling a bottle towards a bank's windows, the writer says: "When we arrived, we met up with other anarchists who had the same idea.
"Wary of being kettled, we chose to stay mobile, causing disruption on Oxford St and the surrounding area. Subsequently, several banks, the Ritz [hotel] and other buildings were damaged or hit by paint bombs. There were some minor scuffles with police."
The article, uploaded on Mr Upton's website on Monday night and simultaneously posted on Twitter in his own name and through his pseudonym "@stormingheaven", is an open letter to members of UKUncut.
Police arrested 138 of the group, which is targetting firms accused of tax avoidance including Vodafone and Topshop, after it staged a sit down protest in Fortnum and Mason, but failed to round up many of the rioters.
The letter's author says he represents the "violent minority" and writes: "press coverage...has gone into a well rehearsed frenzy of 'good protester/bad protestor'...we think the whole idea of dividing 'good' and 'bad'...serves only to legitimise police violence and repression."
Mr Upton last night denied he even took part in the protests or writing the letter, but his personal Twitter feed and the "@stormingheaven" postings, both describing him as an "Angry commie from Brighton", paint a different picture of his involvement both before and after last Saturday's events.
Labour leader Ed Miliband spoke at a rally in Hyde Park at the end of the peaceful official demonstrations last week organised by the TUC.
But Mr Upton, writing as "@stormingheaven", attacked his involvement with an expletive laden diatribe saying: "Ed Milliband (sic). Doesn't matter what you say, you are a f****** c***." and added: "Ed Milliband (sic) - this is how it feels to be an irrelevance."
He then "urged people to join the anarchists south London feeder march" and added "his majesty the violent minority rises again".
On the day of the protests he contined to Tweet. He said the march "shows once again that beyond all doubt Labour Party activists have no part to play in the fight against the cuts."
Later as the violence boiled over, he wrote: "If the TUC/Labour Party say a single f****** word about violence tomorrow without mentioning the police, then they have revealed themselves."
He added: "Feel like I'm going back to my youth, but seriously, f*** all police. Vile, disgusting scum."
He also "Re-Tweeted" another activist's posting: "Do people disassociating themselves from property damage honestly think that purely 'peaceful' protest will perturb the Bullingdon boys?"
Before adding: "The violent minority is the real movement that abolishes the present conditions."
Despite the pseudonym, Mr Upton does little to hide his true identity, even posting pictures of himself using the name and also uploading a copy a certificate for IT security which he had just been awarded at work.
However last night he attempted to distance himself from his previous 4,000 messages by unsuccessfully attempting to delete his Twitter profile under the assumed name and wiping all the messages he had posted as "Jack_Upton".
He also claimed to have nothing more to do with Brighton Solitary Federation, despite other members naming him "Captain Anarchy" and "our glorious leader" on their own internet postings.
Called twice on his mobile by the Sunday Telegraph and asked about his involvement with the group and the postings on its website, at first he said he needed to check what he could say with his comrades before later claiming he was no longer involved.
At first he said: "I'm not sure whether I can speak to you. I'll have to ask the rest of the group. To be honest I don't know whether they would speak to you because of an earlier article that was in the Telegraph. It was a kind of smear campaign against someone I know."
But later the same day he said he knew nothing about the demonstrations or the recent posting on group's website. He said: "To be honest I haven't really been in the loop recently."
Asked why the website was registered in his name, he said: "Yes. I think they used my credit card. I've had no real involvement with them."
Questioned about his role on the march, he said: "I wasn't at the march."
Jonathan Upton, who is chairman for London-based The Campaign Group and specialises in advising the health service and local government, was not home in Brighton or his at office in London when approached for comment.
He failed to respond to several messages left on his mobile phone or to emails outlining his son's role.
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